Services Australia Governance Amendment Bill 2020

The same number of senators voted for and against a motion introduced by Tasmanian Senator Carol Brown (Labor). The motion would have added certain words (see below) to the usual second reading motion - "that the bill be read a second time" - which is parliamentary jargon for agreeing with the main idea of the bill.

Senator Brown explained the purpose of this amendment, saying that:

The reality is that the ASL [Average Staffing Level] staffing cap is both a cut in real staffing numbers and privatisation policy by stealth. Agencies are forced to outsource, contract out, spend exorbitant amounts on consultants and/or engage labour hire contractors to staff departments to make up for the lack of in-house resources. Too many phone calls to Services Australia go unanswered every year, and Australians waste too much time on hold trying to access Centrelink services, causing great, unnecessary distress.

Motion text

At the end of the motion, add ", but the Senate calls on the Government to:

(a) abolish the "ASL offset rule", which has the effect of capping average staffing levels within Services Australia;

(b) stop the excessive use of consultancy firms and contractors to outsource important government services including Centrelink; and

(c) recognise that the staffing cap is a false economy that undermines the quality of government services, especially those delivered by Services Australia".